Synergic Paths
by Zelha
Summary: Synergic Paths is a oneshot collection that follows the same themes as Silver and Emerald Days. This time, Kakashi, Sakura and Yamato will work their way into mutual acceptance, love and their way of the ninja. Various ratings, Canonish-AU.
1. Theme 9

Alright, I have a confession to make. Since KakaSakuYama is my OT3, I've been entertaining thoughts about writing up a drabble collection like Silver and Emerald Days for this awesome threesome as well, and thus, Manolito (my bunny muse) started bombarding me with several scenarios for the fifteen themes.

I present you the first of them.

-XxX-

**Synergic Paths**

**9.**** - Joined Mission**

-

When her shishou told Sakura about the mission, something really disturbing crawled down the pink-haired medic's spine. Call it a bad premonition, but the entire mission layout brought many doubts to her brilliant but sometimes stubborn mind.

Especially because she was going on a mission with all the members of Team Kakashi. Naruto was displaying his usual boisterous behavior, while Sai remarked once or twice about the lack of reproductive organs in the blond's body.

Both friends had already started their bickering and they hadn't even reached the border of their country.

This, of course, brought a gigantic headache to the only female of the team. With twenty years of life under their belts, Naruto and Sai liked to pester each other mercilessly, not realizing that their usually crude and raunchy comments offended and angered their companions.

It only took two more remarks about male organs from Sai and two shouts of "stupid bastard!" from Naruto for her to explode.

Kakashi only stepped aside to avoid the orange projectile that flew towards him, smashing against the tree he was standing on. As for the pale former Root Op, he had been decked rather viciously, his body sailing towards a boulder.

A hiss from the exasperated medic shut them both up, forcing the promise that both of them would behave correctly on the course of their mission. It was bad enough that they were entering Sand without telling the Kazekage in advance, but having two morons on her team usually brought additional stress to her senses.

When she was about to stomp back into their way, a sandstorm broke, forcing the team to gear up a refugee until it passed. Thanks to Yamato, they could shelter within a house he pulled from the deep recesses of the earth itself.

Still stressed, Sakura proceeded to sit in a corner and mull about her annoyance. But her meditation didn't work as she thought it would, for Sai and Naruto started once more with their infuriating pissing contest.

"Alright, both of you shut up."

Kakashi's seemingly bored voice filtered from behind his orange-covered book, effectively accomplishing what she couldn't with her fists.

"Are you okay?" Yamato's whisper broke her out of her observation spot, while her former sensei was targeted by an annoyed Naruto. She shook her head wistfully.

"I'm just stressed, that's all."

Yamato nodded in understanding. Taking his seat next to her and leaning his head on the wall, he let out a deep sigh.

"I know you will do fine, Sakura." His murmur washed over her stressed mind and brought a little calmness on her senses. "If anyone can pull off this task, it's you."

Forcing a grateful smile to form on her lips, she nodded curtly at the mokuton user, imitating his posture against the wall.

She fell asleep instantly.

Kakashi watched his former kohai's try to reassure their pink-haired friend, but it seemed that his kind words weren't working out like they always did.

Knocking out Naruto and sending one of his lazy glances at Sai for him to take a nap as well, he made his way to Sakura's slumbering form, her legs slightly bent and her head almost slipping off the wall.

To the ANBU member's inward surprise, the Copy Ninja gathered the medic's shoulders softly, leaning her to lie on the wooden floor, her head on his thigh.

"I have to admit that I'm a little worried about her," he finally said. Kakashi nodded, pocketing his book to lay a hand on Sakura's upper arm. She sighed and her breathing evened into a deep slumber.

True to his ways, Kakashi wasn't much of a fan of physical touches, but his mere palm against her arm brought the calmness that they were looking for to Sakura.

"I'll keep watch," he murmured to Yamato. "Get some sleep; the storm won't break out until tomorrow."

"I don't mind," the ANBU replied lightly.

Mulling about the details of their mission, Yamato truly understood why Sakura had been behaving so skittish and ill-at-ease. She was going to infiltrate the Wind Daimyo's First Advisor's home, in order to assassinate one of his main servants. The fact that Gaara had appointed this stealth mission to their allies in Konoha spoke miles about the gravity of the situation. The servant was slowly poisoning the Wind Advisor, reducing the man into a shell of his former self, always asking for the medicine that only their target seemed to provide solicitously, like an addict.

However, Gaara and his shinobi couldn't do anything because of the tenseness that was floating in the village due to Sunagakure's strained relations with the Wind Daimyo. The Lord wasn't too happy with the redhead's performance as the Leader of the Sand Village, and he was on the verge of removing him from his position if it weren't for the people of Suna itself, who had sent a large contingent of villagers to the Daimyo, standing up for their Kazekage and pleading for another chance.

To make the story short, Gaara wasn't too pleased with the Wind Lord, especially after finding out that the First Advisor was behind the scheme to throw him out of his job. It turned out that the man had been requesting not only Gaara's dismissal from the Kage position, but also his execution for his past deeds.

A lot of time was involved into recon tasks and info gathering, but only one mind in the world could make out the entire scheme that was acting against the Sand Leader. And that mind was from Konoha. Temari had visited the Village Hidden within the Leaves, explaining to Shikamaru about the entire ordeal that had been stressing the whole Village of Sand, and finally issued a clandestine request for a team to eliminate the threat that endangered her younger brother's position and precious life.

Team Kakashi was to slip onto Wind's territory unnoticed, terminate the servant that had been poisoning the First Advisor and afterwards, bring the man to Konoha under a strict surveillance. Being a politics man he couldn't exactly be terminated like he was advocating to do to the Godaime Kazekage, but somehow they were going to save Gaara. It was the least Konoha could do to pay homage to the alliance they had with Suna.

Sakura's role on the ploy was easy in theory. She was going to enroll the servant's lineup in order to pay the poison guy back with some of her medical tricks. But that also required some skills that only kunoichi possessed.

Yamato recalled how Sakura's face drained of blood when Tsunade had issued the main operation. She didn't protest at what she had been asked to do, but the rank of the mission served to cave into her nerves.

But to her boys' surprise, Tsunade had explained that this wasn't exactly Sakura's first kunoichi mission. This, of course, made Naruto explode into a myriad of angry questions, with Sai's oblivious inputs from time to time. Sakura's physical innocence quickly became the topic of their discussion, thusly pissing off the pink-haired woman next to them.

While she knocked her teammates' heads together, she had displayed a great deal of pride regarding the control of her feminine skills, surprising the mokuton user and also the Copy Ninja, from what Yamato could observe. The mere fact that Kakashi's nose wasn't buried in the book he always carried to have his eye trained on Sakura's defiantly emerald eyes seemed to place a spotlight on several facts to the acting captain of the first Jounin team in Konoha.

Until now, the pink-haired medic hadn't showed any doubts of what she was supposed to do. And that disturbed Yamato somewhat.

And by the grim look on the silver-haired shinobi's pensive face, he was also sharing the concern he felt for their only female partner.

Unbeknownst to Yamato, Kakashi's thoughts were on a wild rampage. Guilt, sadness and rage were warring in his brilliant mind, trying to come up with a solution to the ordeal at hand.

True, he had known that Sakura had took upon herself to prove everybody that she had grown from the weak, lovesick little girl she had been back in the day, but seeing her calm face when she had accepted Tsunade's statement about her expertise in kunoichi-related tasks sent his mind into an overprotective overdrive.

Watching her from afar, he always had thought that leaving her to Tsunade was the best course of action, seeing as how the things were when Sasuke left the village and Naruto went away to his training with the Toad Sage. One Team Seven member to each Legendary Sannin, it was only fitting that Sakura remained under the Godaime Hokage's wing. He had checked up on her from time to time, reveling in the small changes that he noticed she had made to her physique and attire.

But her true strength he only could fully appreciate in that bell-test-slash-sparring-session he had pulled upon Naruto's return, making him realize exactly how much she had grown up.

To his eternally in denial mind, Sakura was a thing they needed to protect and cherish because she was a female and thus, she had to be cherished and sheltered. But that thought fell in crumbles along the large boulder she tore down with only her fist, discovering the Akatsuki hideout and one of the most worrying battles of his entire life.

But then she had come out almost unscathed, also thanks to the old lady, but that didn't mean he could remain with that chauvinistic mindset, especially when the fact of what she had done finally dawned on him with the force of a thousand bricks.

Sakura had been the first one that had brought down an Akatsuki member. She participated actively in a battle against one of the most dangerous shinobi in the world. And, on top of that, she hadn't cowered when they faced a replica of one Uchiha Itachi.

These facts had made Kakashi realize how wrong he had been when he labeled her as a precious thing to be protected when she had soared through the ranks quite easily, achieving Jounin when he hadn't been looking.

And this, this growth, this development of one of his friends and teammates, hurt him.

He couldn't stop worrying about Naruto when he had witnessed his epic battle against a five-hearted, horrid Akatsuki member, but true to his multitasking mind he was also worrying about the medic. He had seen her standing protectively next to his Akimichi charge, the light in her eyes showing how fierce she was going to be if the occasion arose.

But the sigh he heaved in relief when she came back with Shikamaru after he dealt the retaliation to the religious Akatsuki enemy spoke volumes to his accustomed guilt trip.

He had started training Naruto, but that didn't stop him from making a point with the Hokage from time to time. Patience wearing thin, Tsunade had appointed him to also observe Sakura's training in order to shut him up from once and for all...

... And he had been entranced by how Sakura fought. Her evasive moves were quite the sight, even for him that he had seen a lot in his life. Her hands, small and rather cute when gloved, dealt a massive damage that promptly ended his thinking that she needed protection.

And with this acceptance, he had stopped seeing her as a little girl, making him finally notice the curves under her attire, how her chest heaved with every labored breath, how her eyes shone with mirth when she was picking on Naruto, how her white skin seemed so endearing and soft, almost eliciting an urge for a touch.

Pragmatic as he was, Kakashi stopped observing his teammate's training, asking Yamato to follow Sakura's advances in her preparation... only for him to burn in annoyance and badly-concealed jealousy when he caught them laughing in a tea shop over dinner once.

He knew his kohai. After all, they had been around each other for quite some time. And the admiring glances he directed at their pink-haired teammate and medic only meant that he had also realized the true beauty that lay beneath the feisty demeanor.

But he was also thrown into a confused loop when she started to send stares at his own self. She was young, he had thought. It was only a phase.

But the phase didn't go away, and he acutely felt Sakura's glances whenever he bumped onto her... and he also noticed that she started to smile more when he and Yamato were in her vicinity.

So she had a crush on both of them. That was the cold, harsh truth. But the confused part was that she hadn't acted upon her feelings, contenting herself with looking at them and smiling, relishing to be in their presence... but nothing more.

Yamato had observed everything, of course. He knew his kohai. He had noticed Sakura's behavior as of late, but he was also confused at the lack of flirting from her part. It was clear that she liked them more than one could like a teammate or a friend, so why she didn't do anything about it?

The answer was easy to deduce. Sasuke's lack of response and cutting remarks had opened an abyss of self-doubts and psychological issues about Sakura's femininity, issues she had overcome by mastering her kunoichi skills.

Kakashi was too tight-lipped regarding his feelings, but when Yamato voiced his worry about the slumbering female in his lap, he couldn't help but agree, both of them devising a surveillance scheme in which she was to be observed at all times on their mission.

They didn't realize at the moment, that working together on behalf of Sakura's safety was the first step to accept their own feelings about her.

And that was the beginning for the three of them.

-X-

Sakura only had time to regain her breath when a silent Kakashi took down the inebriated shinobi that posed as the Wind's First Advisor.

Another shadow in the window showed itself as the mokuton user, who kept careful watch on the room that had been assigned to her in her role as maid.

"You have two seconds to leave," she hissed, her temper kicking in. "This is my part!"

"We're not holding you, Sakura," Kakashi said seriously. "Do your thing."

She stared at him, not believing her ears. "What?"

"We're supporting you, Sakura."

Yamato's words did the trick this time. Terminating the shinobi with a poison that only she knew the composition of, she had started the healing on the second target, securing him enough to be moved to Konoha without complications.

After three days of a mad race through the forest back to their village with their Wind charge and the body of the unknown shinobi, they heaved a relieved sigh when they entered their beloved home village.

The Kazekage had been cleared of his political sandstorm, resuming once more his duties as Sunagakure's Leader, to his people's delight.

After the mission, Sakura locked herself in her home, trying to understand Kakashi's and Yamato's sudden change of behavior but nothing cleared after mulling the facts over and over in her mind.

True, she liked them more than friends, but that was beside the point. She had been the one dealing the final blow to their target. Not Kakashi, not Yamato, not Naruto. Her, Haruno Sakura, and yet she didn't understand why they let her kill their target, because they were rather overprotective of her and Naruto.

The mission took a lot of her patience, finally breaking down when she saw herself secluded within the walls of her own home.

She cried to relieve herself of the stress and the feelings that wreaked havoc on her mind. She had a crush on both of her superiors and she just couldn't accept it. She couldn't, because her heart was still bleeding in pain due to Sasuke's scathing remarks.

Sitting on her sofa, her arms wrapped around her legs and head bent to touch her own knees, she came to terms with herself and her feelings. Or at least she tried to, but a pair of arms encased her against a warm body, offering the comfort that her senses craved.

"It's okay," a deep, male voice murmured over her hair. "Let it go. It's okay, Sakura."

Yamato.

She stilled in shock, tears still shining on her eyes as she raised her head to look at him. Her eyes widened when his hand brushed her cheek, wiping away her tears as he offered her a soft, fond smile.

"It's okay to feel guilty after your first kill, Sakura," he soothed softly.

She didn't correct him. That man wasn't her first kill. Her first kill had been a young chuunin in the hospital, who was dying slowly from a fatal wound.

Enclosed in Yamato's arms and unbeknownst to her, under the vigilant gaze of one Hatake Kakashi that watched them from a far roof, she sought the comfort she needed to finally, and ultimately, let go of the last remnant of her innocence.

A remnant called Uchiha Sasuke.

And from that very moment, she would be free.

-

_- Tenna' ento lye omenta -_

-XxX-

**AN:** I finally came around to post these. I actually wrote them like three months ago, more or less, and yes, they somewhat comply with my first KakaSakuYama, _Synergy_. Let me know what you think!  
And I also would like to thank Cynchick for her lovely input and diligent beta efforts! 8D


	2. Theme 3

**Synergic Paths  
3.**** - Forgetting an important date**

-

A worried frown adorned the mokuton user's features when he realized that the pink-haired woman he was looking for was actually huddled in a corner of the obliterated clearing, her knees drawn to her chest and her face hidden within her crossed arms.

Since that mission to Suna, she had been so withdrawn that even Naruto and Sai deemed it strange for a bubbly, happy person like Sakura. Sai had asked her what was wrong, eliciting the fakest smile he had ever seen on the medic's features. Of course, this worried other people as well.

Like Yamato, for example. He had seen almost nearly every range of emotion on Sakura's face, but the absent, wistful look she had nowadays was something he hadn't seen before on someone like her. Wanting to understand the reasons for her sudden clamming up, he had gone to the Hokage.

Tsunade herself was none the wiser regarding her pupil's sudden hermit complex. Recovering quite quickly from the trauma gained in the mission to Wind Country, Sakura had thrown herself in her hospital duties, allowing work to occupy her mind enough to keep more thoughts about her superiors away.

However, she hadn't counted on a surprise visit by none other than the silver-haired Copy Ninja, who had tried to get her to open up... earning himself quite a beating from the irate roseate medic-nin.

In truth, she hadn't wanted to explode like she did. But Kakashi's prodding only triggered the newly developed sense of self-preservation she had put up against anyone who entered her personal space. The cutting remarks that had slipped from her lips as she tried to hit him had the opposite effect: Kakashi had stilled in surprise, allowing her to connect her fists to his body.

After a frantic healing session and repetitive apologies, she had fled to her office, locking herself up once more. Little did she know that her words had opened something within the Copy Ninja, finally letting him see the truth behind her anger. He wasn't a genius for nothing.

Cornering her in the clearing had been easy for someone like him. Challenging her to one of his unorthodox bell-tests, he hadn't realized that the woman's fists were fueled with more frustration than anger. Feeling frustrated himself, it took little for him to pin her to the ground, pull down his mask and crash his mouth to hers, nearly eliciting a heart attack in the pink-haired kunoichi.

But soon she gave in to the feelings wreaking havoc on her senses and the kiss became more desperate, more passionate, frenzied even. He was only too happy to oblige to her unspoken demands, kissing her beyond oblivion, kissing her with all the desire he had been harboring for her, kissing her for the sake of kissing her, to feel her under his own body.

Then again, he hadn't foreseen her sudden withdrawal, her terrified whispers about dynamics that were damaged beyond reason and future losses that she didn't want to face. This surprised him enough for her to flee the place, taking refugee in the only place he couldn't follow: the Hokage's office.

As for Tsunade, she could only wait for her hysterical pupil to regain enough calmness to explain herself... but once again she had been surprised by Sakura's unpredictability by requesting a change of team or a sabbatical leave. The blonde knew she was running away, and what frustrated her the most was that her esteemed student wasn't providing a reasonable explanation.

She signed a vacation for Sakura, effective after the mission that she was about to assign her team. Tsunade had watched her student pale then blush in rapid succession, nailing her inner theory that something had indeed happened with one of her teammates.

And this worried her greatly.

Summoning Team Kakashi in its entirety, she dismissed Naruto's protests and sent them on a new adventure, this time back to Sunagakure, telling them cryptically that the Kazekage was going to issue them the final orders there.

Kakashi hadn't tried to talk to her about what had happened between them, and this hurt Sakura deeply. She knew that he wasn't going to explain himself; the kiss had been explanation enough of his thoughts and desires for her. Sakura also knew that her crush had developed into something that she just wasn't ready to face, especially after all the self-therapy she had induced to her own mind through a lot of pondering and meditation.

But Yamato's soft question about her changing team request was met with stunned, hurt silence. Of course he had known, he was one of the Hokage's most trusted ANBU operatives. Arriving to Suna, Gaara encountered a rather tense Team Kakashi, a Naruto that had his eyes hidden from view and a Sakura that didn't sport any light in hers.

Naruto, however, had earned an explanation. The following night she told him everything she was feeling about Kakashi and Yamato, swearing him to secrecy and also trying to cope with her own feelings, especially when the blond had showed one of his rare moments of wisdom and asked her why she was running away from her happiness.

And Sakura had been stunned into silence, breaking down once more in Naruto's arms. She was confused, very confused. Too confused to perceive Yamato's eavesdropping presence.

Gaara's orders were for them to help him renew his shinobi ranks, and for Sakura to redesign the medical practices in the Sand Village.

They had to stay in Sunagakure for the rest of the year.

This allowed Yamato to observe the kunoichi in another element, focused on her work with a passion that only a true calling can muster, teaching her colleagues with a gentle voice and a sweet smile.

But the light in her eyes didn't reappear, so Yamato promised himself to fix that.

Thinking himself beyond jealousy, Kakashi had observed his kohai taking the medic out to dinner, offering her an evening without loud yells or bland comments, coming out with a pleasant conversation about their experiences in their respective posts... finally watching how Yamato received a quick kiss on the lips for all the trouble he had gone through to cheer the medic up.

And Kakashi had burned inside with frustration.

Little did he know that Yamato knew about the stunt he had pulled back in Konoha, and he wasn't above in getting Sakura to accept and cope with the maelstrom inside her by coming clean with his own. She had been once more stunned to silence, murmuring something to the mokuton user and leaving him with a little, strained smile.

Two days later, Sakura had barged into Kakashi's room, straddling his hips in a fast movement and crashing her lips to his in a desperate attempt to make him lose control.

And to her thrilling delight, he did. Several times.

The next morning was a bit awkward, though. She had come clean with Kakashi as well, but she was an honest girl. The feelings she had for the Copy Ninja weren't the same as those she had for her former team leader. She loved them both, but the nearly violent passion that she had for Kakashi wasn't the same that the light, fluttering feeling that appeared in her stomach when Yamato was around.

Sakura thought herself a whore when she got no response from the silver-haired ninja.

But later Yamato had been sympathetic enough to accept her double feelings. He was thankful for her reciprocation of feelings, but yet he had backed away when she tried to kiss him.

And this wasn't lost on the hidden, observant Hatake Kakashi.

Getting into a suitable arrangement hadn't been easy, especially to the possessive Copy Ninja. He simply wasn't suited to share anything, especially a woman.

Especially a woman he loved dearly, to his inner fright.

But he had understood that Yamato was actually able to give her reassurings and comforts he just couldn't because of his trauma-filled past and jaded nature. He could show her his love without words; whereas his former kohai could fulfill her need for voiced support.

He knew Yamato enough to realize that he was also in love with the pink-haired medic. He would have to be obsessed with power and revenge, blind with obliviousness, or focused in other social struggles not to love that woman. Kakashi now could see that Sasuke had lost a precious opportunity to regain some humanity.

And that opportunity had turned to two world-weary, hopeless shinobi.

Yamato had been glad that the strange arrangement could be worked out. He wasn't a selfish man; his seemingly docile nature prevented him from being dragged in a vortex of vicious feelings. He had accepted Sakura's passion for Kakashi because he knew the other man needed a safe lifeline more than he did. But his acceptance of a new liaison of their pink-haired lover had been a pleasant surprise, promising to soothe the medic whenever Kakashi couldn't. It was a fair arrangement, since both of them could have her now.

Kakashi was a practical man. If she had enough heart to accommodate both of them, he wasn't going to complain as long as he had her. He had seen too much pain to allow himself be caught in a web of lies, deceit and jealousy. He simply had to accept it.

And he had told that to Yamato when they came back to Konoha at the end of their mission. Their homeland was covered with the gentle snow that was so endearing for their kunoichi, both of them watching how the light that had disappeared from her eyes had slowly returned, to their inner relief.

As for Tsunade, she had slyly asked about Sakura's earlier request, only to observe her pupil exchanging glances with her former superiors, now lovers. Or at least, one of them was a lover, and the other was going to be.

Her resolute negative had been celebrated by Naruto, and Sai to some extent, but the older men were more pleased than the two of them. And to Tsunade's cunning eye, the tender glance Yamato had sent the pink-haired kunoichi's way spoke volumes.

With this new discovery, Tsunade proceeded to gape openly in shock.

It was a good thing she didn't see the pleased smirk Kakashi had under his mask.

In the crossroad that split the paths of Team Kakashi to their respective homes and rests, they had bid goodbye to Naruto and Sai, the three of them staying back. Sakura knew they were waiting for her to pick one of them to go home with.

It was so bizarre that she couldn't help but realize how different this situation was from the harshness she had lived through trying to get close to a man that simply didn't want her. And now, two of the most brilliant shinobi of the village were waiting for a favoring word from her.

Glancing briefly at the two of them, she remembered suddenly a date she had bypassed when they were in Suna, a date she had marked in her mental calendar, a date she had always celebrated by herself. A date commemorating the day she had overcame the first of her boundaries and walls by defeating an Akatsuki member.

A date she had completely forgotten.

She smiled to herself.

"Guys, why we don't go to dinner, just the three of us? I want to tell you something."

Yes, she wanted them to know how she felt when Sasori had fallen, thanks to her combined strength with that old woman that taught her a little but precious lesson about herself.

A lesson called _independence_.

Maybe after dinner she would decide who'd get to go home with her, but first, she wanted them to know the real her, the real Sakura, the Sakura that unbeknownst to her, had them so enthralled.

Her smiled widened and her eyes shone with glee when both men situated themselves at her sides, walking the same strolling pace she had, patient enough and mature enough to let her do whatever she wanted, at least for the moment.

-

_- Tenna' ento lye omenta -_

-

**AN:** This theme was basically inspired in Giftwapped, by J-Pop Princess. Go read it, it's pure gold.  
Much love to Cynchick to revisit and beta these! 8D


	3. Theme 13

**AN: YamaSaku goodness!****  
Synergic Paths  
13. – S****now**

-

Knowing that her silver-haired lover was on a mission, Sakura just turned over in the bed and tried to fall asleep again. But sometimes, life just doesn't want you to loiter around when you could be doing other useful tasks...

And life was on the pink-haired medic's tail, knocking on her apartment door rather loudly for her sensitive hearing, as she had just awoken from a deep slumber.

Thinking that Naruto did indeed have a death wish, she trudged out of the bed and padded to the door, intent on yelling at his obnoxious blond ass his sin of getting her out of her bed on such a cold morning. But as she opened the door and gathered some much needed oxygen to start her scolding, she noticed that a green vest and a pair of dark, amused eyes were staring back at her rather inappropriate set of clothing.

"Yamato!" she gasped, scrambling behind her door in a fit of shyness that made him smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Sai and Naruto are already at the training grounds," he said. "We were wondering why you hadn't arrived yet."

Sakura shivered due to the cold draft that entered her apartment. "It's training day today? I didn't remember..."

"No, we agreed on a snowball fight against your other friends, remember?" he prodded, chuckling under his breath when her eyes blinked, lighting in excitement and mischief.

"How could I forget it?" she replied with a grin, motioning him to enter her apartment as she skipped to the bedroom to change. "I'll be with you in a minute; I'm so going to make a snowman out of Naruto's sorry ass!"

The ANBU Captain only let out a laugh at her giddiness.

-X-

Strolling down the street with a heavy coat around her wasn't exactly Sakura's idea of having fun, which was why she found herself scowling at the gray sky.

"If you're too cold we can always go home," Yamato murmured at her side, noticing her shivering. Sakura pouted and shook her head.

"Nah," she answered. "I'll live."

Thoroughly amused at her stubbornness, even when she was feeling so disgruntled by the abrupt dropping of the temperature, they walked to the clearing, where the battle was in full swing.

Sakura's eyes narrowed in challenge, nodding at Yamato's mischievous glance.

The war was on.

-X-

Sai and Naruto didn't see it coming, but Team Gai did.

Tenten and Lee had to take cover under their own snow barricade while Neji leapt in the air to avoid the sudden avalanche that all but trampled on the clearing, covering all the battling parties under three inches of snow.

Seeing Naruto's blond mop of hair struggling to get out of the icy blanket, Team Gai immediately noticed a laugh that was ringing throughout the clearing.

"Take that as a payment for your latest prank, Naruto no baka!"

Turning their heads, they noticed a pink-haired medic nin in her normal attire, coat forgotten hanging from a tree branch as her gloved fists directed another wave of frozen earth raised by her ANBU companion at their own teammates.

It took Chouji's Baika no Jutsu to counter the impending burial, while the war waged mercilessly on the two members of Team Kakashi, as Yamato and Sakura joined the opposite ranks, helping Team Eight, Ten and Gai to pound Naruto and Sai into oblivion.

A long while later, calling the victory for everyone but the loud Hokage-wannabe and the socially-retarded former Root operative, they gathered in front of a bonfire in order to get treatment from Ino and Sakura. The blonde kunoichi teased the losers while the pink-haired one laughed, all the while glancing from time to time to an amused Yamato, who was engaged in conversation with the other Jounin sensei.

-X-

She entered her house chuckling mirthfully while Yamato pointed out how comical Naruto's look was when he realized they were playing up against him. Closing the door and leaving the cold outside, she shrugged her coat off her shoulders, shivering.

"You should take a hot shower," Yamato said as he took off his own vest. "Your lips are blue."

This seemingly innocent statement made her still in surprise. Lifting her eyes to Yamato's, the atmosphere did a one-eighty when she pressed her cold lips together.

"You know..." she began, walking cautiously towards him. "You're right, I should warm myself."

"Let me know if you need assistance," he whispered, leaning on her, their lips almost touching.

"I certainly will need assistance," she breathed as the distance closed. The kiss was filled with the warmth she was looking for, as his arms wrapped around her shivering form. She was still shivering, but this time not from the cold outside or the melting snow in her hair. This time was because of Yamato, Tenzou, as he murmured his real name in her ear when they stumbled onto her bed, already bared and urgent.

She sighed and growled in frustration at his soft caresses and languid kisses, but she learned to be patient with him, as he drew pleasure from her body and drove her into a certain white hot haze, his style completely different than Kakashi's, but Sakura loved it all the same.

"Tenzou," she whispered, basking in the afterglow and enjoying his arms around her, the warmth of his chest on her back. He hummed to let her know he was awake and listening. "Are you cold?"

"Not anymore," he replied, making her smile.

-

_- Tenna' ento lye omenta -_

-XxX-

**AN:** Much love to Cynchick to revisit and beta these! 8D


	4. Theme 8

**A/N: And now it's Kakashi's turn! XD  
Synergic Paths  
8.**** - Sleeping habits**

**-  
**

Sometimes, Sakura really questioned her sanity after an encounter with Kakashi's stubborn personality.

The man wasn't only a lazy, laid-back and somewhat aloof bastard, but he also had a penchant for leaving Sakura's mind running in circles after one of their arguments about his ability to sneak out of the hospital before being discharged. He seemed to enjoy pissing her off, especially when she showed such genuine worry for his wounded self.

That left her with only one solution: treat him in her own apartment. That way she could keep an eye on him while he relaxed. Because it wasn't lost on the pink-haired kunoichi that the Hatake Kakashi only dropped his guard when he was within the safe sanctuary of her home.

From an outsider's view, she kept on living alone. But in reality, she was sharing her apartment – and her bed­ – with one Copy Ninja and a certain ANBU-ranked mokuton user. This allowed them plenty of privacy and independence, especially when one of them was at home with her.

But somehow, the Hokage had caught wind of their activities, having interrogated Sakura during one of her shifts at the hospital. And this scared her, because she knew how her mentor was regarding the presence of men in her protégé's vicinity. No one was good enough for Tsunade's prized apprentice.

When confronted, Sakura only could deny her liaison with Kakashi, but she couldn't hide the little blush when Tsunade, grasping at straws, cornered her with Yamato. Accepting her liking for the ANBU operative, the Hokage had backed off, thinking that it was only a little crush from the pink-haired female.

If only she knew.

Kakashi, after a long time living in that little piece of a closet that he used to call an apartment, got evicted because the building was to be demolished. Such was the way of the village, always making changes within its walls to provide comfort for its inhabitants.

His cunning mind was already in the works, devising a nice plan for him to get Sakura off the hook and Tsunade off his back. Moving to Yamato's apartment, they got the necessary clearance for continuing their relationship with their pink-haired medic. So far the plan had worked beautifully, and along with the mission duties they kept performing flawlessly, the threesome could breathe freely, knowing that for a moment, they had fooled the overprotective Hokage.

But coming back to the task at hand, Sakura sighed heavily, taking in the sight before her. A slightly battered silver-haired ninja was sleeping soundly on her bed, his arms covering part of his face and the sheets wrapping around what was necessary to maintain a minimum of decorum.

Sakura didn't mind seeing Kakashi naked; after all, he had introduced her to the world of sensation called sex. Sakura had lost her bashfulness during one of their escapades, when they had had a furious, quick romp on top of her old desk in Iruka's classroom.

The medic smiled briefly. It didn't matter that Kakashi kept choosing to hide his own feelings and his real self from the world. Hell, sometimes he didn't allow _her_ to come closer. But she knew that it was part of his character. He had suffered too much during his life, losing everyone precious to him. She had understood after a conversation she had with Yamato, watching over Kakashi after one rather hard mission.

Tenzou had been quite enlightening, explaining a few things she didn't see because of her frustration with the Copy Ninja. From that moment on Sakura had decided to let him breathe, not being so nosy with his thoughts and past, accepting what he was able to offer her, and then some.

But now, seeing him breathing freely thanks to the depth of his slumber and knowing that his condition was much better since she started treating him, she allowed herself a respite, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Yo," a deep male voice whispered huskily. Emerald eyes flying open, she noticed that Kakashi had woken up, watching her with those hooded eyes of his.

"_Okaeri_, Kakashi," she greeted back softly. "It took me a while, but you're stable now. You should go back to sleep."

Yamato was out on an ANBU mission, so she was all alone with the secretive, silver-haired man.

"How long...?" he asked, and she knew what he wanted to know.

"Only one day. You came back yesterday morning."

He sighed and slipped back into slumber, still exhausted. Sakura sighed, aware that his system needed a lot of rest for her chakra to keep restoring his wounds. She was lucky that she had a poof chair near the bed; for she knew that she was in for a long night watching over her lover's sleep.

Scooting the big cushion to the edge of the bed, she arranged herself in a way that she could hold Kakashi's hand while keeping her body comfortable.

She fell asleep, her fingers entwined with his.

-X-

She woke up when a hand ran lightly between her pink tresses. Blinking owlishly, she lifted her head to see that Kakashi was directing a soft smile at her under his mask.

"How do you feel?" she managed to ask before a yawn got a hold of her mouth.

"Much better and rested, thanks to you."

"I'm glad to hear that," she replied mechanically, rising from the cushion and trying to direct her steps towards the bathroom, forgetting that her hand was still enclosed within his.

Kakashi only held his grasp to call her attention. Sleepy eyes turned to his, questioning.

"What is it?"

He merely lifted his other hand to reinforce his hold, all the while as retracting his arms in order to pull her onto him.

Already used to his unspoken requests, she lay down on the bed with him, as his arms went to wrap around her body.

"I don't deserve you," he murmured next to her hair. She frowned at him.

"Shut up and go back to sleep," she replied starkly, planting a sound kiss on his masked lips. He relaxed, playing with her disheveled hair. His light caresses only prompted her to fall asleep once more, encased within his arms.

"I don't deserve you," Kakashi murmured again. "But I can't help but love you, Forehead girl."

And judging from way she buried her face in his chest, looking unconsciously for his presence, he knew that she shared the same sentiment.

All in all, his sleeping habits had changed quite a bit, only allowing his tormented self to get a proper, deep rest when he knew that she was watching over him.

And now, he could return the favor.

-

_- Tenna' ento lye omenta -_

-XxX-

**AN:** Much love to Cynchick for betaing these, as usual! 8D


	5. Theme 6

**Synergic Paths  
6. – Messing with the cooking**

-

For someone who knew Sakura from the beginning, her growth surely had come as quite a surprise. That didn't mean that she excelled at everything, just in her chosen fields.

Of course, those chosen fields did _not_ include the culinary arts.

When Yamato and Kakashi were told of her sudden invitation for dinner, they shared a suspicious glance before looking back at one pink-haired kunoichi who was smiling rather mischievously at them.

"Oh, come on, I know you're not to look down on free food," she said, crossing her arms in mock-offense. "I cook _that bad_, huh?"

"Well... Sakura, er..."

Leave it to Yamato to try to reassure her immediately and still fail spectacularly. He had been on too many missions with her. He should have known by now that the only thing she could do satisfactorily was boil water and throw some ramen in it.

But then again, _anyone_ who had been exposed to Naruto could do that.

"I hate to say it, Sakura-chan, but your cooking is really awful."

Kakashi's bluntness was more than enough to make her huff with annoyance.

"You think I don't already know that, baka?" she asked, glaring at him before turning her nose upwards. "I ordered some take out. You better come over because I ordered too much food."

"Why so sudden?" Yamato asked, smiling that smile of his that made her blush. "Are you planning something else, aren't you?"

To their combined surprise, the pink-haired medic turned her back on them and started to walk back to the Hospital.

"... Maybe," she threw over her shoulder, with a wink and a crooked smile.

The two men exchanged another glance and nodded to one another. There was no way they could figure out exactly what she was plotting. They were curious; since Kakashi's lessons regarding seduction, Sakura had taken upon herself the mission of surprise them from time to time, with excellent results for everyone involved.

"You get the sake and I'll get the cookies," the mokuton user said to his sempai. Kakashi nodded, waving his hand as he strolled towards the training grounds.

"I hope she didn't order tempura," was his musing reply. Yamato snorted as he poofed away.

-X-

As usual, Yamato arrived to her door punctually. Some measures had to be taken to avoid the rumor mill. It was, therefore, an unspoken agreement that Kakashi would sneak into her apartment some time later.

"Come on in," Sakura beamed at him with that hint of giddiness that never failed to make him smile.

"Now, what are you planning?" he asked curiously.

She merely blinked and let her smile arrange into a perfect wicked smirk. "Eager to know, aren't we?"

"I have to admit that you got some rather interesting tricks as of late," he shot back as he closed the door and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"I'll tell you... after dinner," she whispered with a light giggle as lifted a nonplussed brow. "Sake? Yum. Let me warm it a bit."

Truly, her flat was the most comfortable place in the whole village for Yamato, even when compared to his own apartment. He didn't mind the Copy Nin crashing his place from time to time, mostly because they slept more at Sakura's...

Forcibly, he ceased his train of thought to avoid a little slip on his character and take the medic on her very own kitchen counter. Instead, he turned his attention to what she was doing so as to avoid thinking about how nice she looked in her shorts and tank-top.

"It's not polite to stare, Tenzou," came Kakashi's voice from her bedroom as he ambled to join them in the kitchen. He stopped abruptly when he took in Sakura's choice of garments. "...But I guess I can't blame you."

"Pervert," Sakura threw over her shoulder as she busied herself with serving their dinner and gathering the chopsticks. "I swear you're going to spoil poor Tenzou with your Icha-related comments."

"I don't hear you complaining over having two men, Sakura-chan," he rebuked her with an uncovered smirk. "Who's the bigger pervert?"

"Tch, according to Kiba, Naruto," she brushed off his attempt to get a rise of her as she placed the plates in front of them. "He told me something really interesting regarding his sister's sudden interest on our dear knuckleheaded moron."

"Inuzuka Hana? I honestly can't see her trying to get into Naruto's pants," Yamato piped in as they seated on the counter and dug into their meal. "Hmm, this is really good," he added, diving for another onigiri.

"I've heard that she's quite a sight when she's in heat," Kakashi commented without looking up from his miso soup.

Sakura let out an unladylike snort. "With all those ninjas around that can detect a female's change in scent and the like, it's a wonder she hadn't been accosted by a mob of fanboys already."

"It's a wonder _you_ haven't been stalked by half of Konoha men," the silver-haired man grumbled over his food.

"Well, at least the cover we planned is working out," Yamato added, not wanting to discuss the increasingly-dangerous subject with the temperamental Sakura further. "As long as Tsunade-sama thinks I'm the one in a relationship with Sakura, everything will be okay."

"Until she gets wind that a certain Sharingan Kakashi has taken upon himself to shag his former student in every weird location his distorted mind thinks of."

Both men chuckled at the woman's blunt observation. They were very much aware that she had a split mind, and occasionally Inner Sakura would peek through her mental barriers and grace them with her charming and amusingly raucous presence.

This, naturally, caused a feverish – and embarrassed – blush to color their lover's face.

"Sorry," she mumbled before stuffing her mouth with her dinner in order to avoid spouting another lovely remark from her mental roommate.

"I like the way _she_ thinks," Kakashi said as he took a sip of his tea. "Maybe we can try for the Hokage's desk next time."

Sakura promptly choked on her rice, making him laugh as Tenzou pushed the glass of water towards her.

"Goddamn it Kakashi!" she grated when she regained back the ability to breathe air and not rice. "Why do you have to make those comments when I'm eating?"

"Because it's fun?"

"Maa, maa, knock it off," Yamato intervened before Sakura could retaliate, catching the wrist of the fisted hand that was sailing towards Kakashi. "You know he's only joking... right?"

"Your scary face only works with Naruto, kouhai."

Yamato rolled his eyes in mild exasperation. This time, he didn't stop Sakura's hand when she smacked Kakashi's silver mop in retaliation.

"Now, could you please elaborate a bit more about me having a fanclub?" she asked as she leaned back on her chair. She fixed the both of them with a pointedly interested look.

The Copy Ninja shot a warning look at Yamato before shrugging. "Who said you had one?"

Now it was Sakura's turn to roll her eyes. "You said it, not me."

"Ne, Kakashi, I think we should tell her," Yamato's voice floated again between them. Kakashi just lifted his shoulders in defeat, his mouth still full of food.

"Tell me what?" Sakura asked, furrowing her brows in confusion and a hint of concern in her eyes.

"We've observed that there are certain men trying to get your attention," Tenzou said with a mild frown. "The thing is that no one knows about our relationship, only the Hokage. Therefore, many Konoha men still think you're single... and available."

The lowering of the mokuton user's tone when saying those last words was more than enough for her to understand that they were jealous. Even Yamato, with his gentle, more easy-going nature, was rather disgruntled by the sudden interest other men had taken in her.

"And since your pheromones are quite easy to pick up, it's only a matter of time for someone to make a move on you," Kakashi finished, crossing his arms over his chest to signify he was done with his meal.

Sakura only could stare at them while blinking, trying to process what they had just said. True, Genma had been more obnoxious than usual and even Neji had smirked her way while they bumped on the street, but she thought it was just because the summer heat had been really light and everyone was feeling relaxed.

"So... pheromones," she repeated, seeing both her men nodding. She fell silent again, as she gathered the dishes and stood up to put them on the sink to trudge on the fridge and pull out that it looked like a chocolate covered dessert.

"I'm full," the silver-haired man shook his head. Sakura shrugged before looking at Yamato. He nodded in acceptance.

"So you do know that my pheromones were actually awakened because of you two, right?"

Both men looked at each other before lifting a questioning brow.

"Because of us?" Yamato asked, tilting his head.

"I've been having trouble sleeping when the two of you are gone," she explained, sticking her index finger on her mouth to clean the chocolate gathered on it. "So I had to resort to drastic measures in order to keep my urges at bay."

"So you've been touching yourself, huh?" there was no mistake in Kakashi's sudden sly smirk, only deepening it when she flushed heatedly.

"Again, why you have to be so tactless when we're eating?" she protested, missing Yamato's thoroughly amused smile as he tried some of the dessert she had given him, humming his approval when his senses perceived how tasty it was.

"This is delicious," he announced, sampling another spoonful.

Sakura smiled happily. "You think?"

"I haven't tasted anything like it," Yamato said with a nod.

His assertion only served to awaken Kakashi's natural curiosity. Quickly, he extended a finger to the main dessert plate. He brought his finger to his lips, tasting it for himself. "I'm not one for sweets, but this is rather appetizing."

Sakura grinned at him. "Want more?" she asked, cutting a piece for him where he'd poked the dish with his finger. When he didn't protest, she slid the little plate to him, then watched both men tackle the chocolate dessert with gusto.

"What is this?" Tenzou finally asked.

She let out a laugh. "It's a chocolate marquise, I got the recipe from Tenten," she explained, watching in amusement when both Yamato and Kakashi suddenly went very still.

"You made this?" Kakashi asked in disbelief, both of his brows rising in surprise when she nodded.

"Yep!" she chirped. "I might be a hopeless case when it comes to cooking everything else, but I still hold the title as the best dessert-maker in the whole village, thank you very much. Even Chouji had praised my cakes."

"I think I'm developing a sweet tooth already," murmured Yamato as he cut another piece of the marquise.

"Don't eat it all, Tenzou, we have to share," came Kakashi's muffled protest from behind the spoon stuck on his mouth.

"You two are idiots," their lover laughed, earning herself two mocking glares in response.

"I think we need another setting to enjoy this better," Kakashi drawled, laying his spoon on the marquise plate. "You get the dessert, I get the plate."

Sakura lifted a brow when Kakashi stood up, but squealed when his nimble hands flipped her over his shoulder as he made his way towards her bedroom. Yamato didn't waste time laughing as he took the dessert and followed them, the sake and cookies forgotten.

Sakura's laugh resounded through the apartment when she promised out loud that she would make more marquise the next day. Her giggles quickly dissolved into breathless moans.

Truly, sometimes, it was nice to surprise them from time to time, even when they surprised her as well.

-

_- Tenna' ento lye omenta -_

-XxX-

A/N: Happy Valentine's/Single's Awareness Day, people! 8D Much love to my dear RapturesRevenge for her beta! Let's wish her a happy birthday as well!. :D


	6. Theme 2

**Synergic Paths  
2****. – Meeting an Ex**

**-  
**

Sakura just couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was outrageous, clearly, because it was just... _outrageous_!

"Jealous?" the amused, cynical drawl snapped her from her reverie. With an indignant glare thrown at the one known as the Copy Ninja, Sakura promptly let out an indignant huff.

"If I were a jealous person, Kakashi, I would be really disgruntled about the time you spend with Kurenai-sempai and her son."

A silver brow rose in interest. "So you're jealous of Kurenai?"

"Don't be such an idiot, you sound like Naruto," Sakura snapped in a whisper, turning her gaze back to the people next to the counter. Yamato was listening intently to what a purple-haired woman was saying, a little smile plastered on his features.

Kakashi knew perfectly that his female lover was rather disgruntled seeing her other lover being so friendly with another woman. But he had looked underneath the underneath and he realized that Yamato also had perceived Sakura's grumpiness. Therefore, it stood to reason that the smile Yamato wore was more nervous than anything.

Both knew that an enraged Haruno Sakura was more dangerous than a Naruto with four tails.

Yamato was no fool; he knew how Sakura was feeling about his conversation with his former ANBU comrade. His sempai, Kakashi, didn't help matters either, seeing as the other man was smirking under that ever-present mask, obviously amused by the predicament he found himself in. The purple-haired woman across from Yamato was chattering merrily away, not realizing that she was teetering precariously between life and death.

Sakura clenched her gloved fists and stepped towards them, only to have a mission scroll tossed at her face by Shizune.

"Thank goodness you're here; you spared me the trek to your home!" Shizune said in greeting. "You have a mission at the border. One of our squads seems to have encountered a band of rogue ninja and they sent a message requesting medical aid. Many of them were injured."

"I understand," Sakura said with a firm nod. "When do we leave?"

"Now," Shizune answered. "Your partners for this mission are Kiba-kun and Neji-kun. Meet them at the gate, Sakura, and thank you."

"No need to thank me, Shizune," the pink-haired medic said with a small smile as she scanned the scroll swiftly. "See you in a month."

This of course, perked two pairs of ears, but for the sake of appearances, they could do nothing but watch her stroll toward the exit, a smirk hidden behind roseate bangs.

Yamato smiled tensely as Yuugao greeted her other sempai, the silver-haired one. This didn't bode well for either of them if Sakura went away for a month without giving Yamato a chance to clear up this whole misunderstanding.

Excusing himself pleasantly, he made his way quickly to the gates, where both the Inuzuka and the Hyuuga were waiting for their third teammate. Hiding behind a fence, he grew a little cherry tree next to the road, intended to catch its namesake's attention when she arrived.

Emerald eyes that hid more hurt than anger looked up when their owner arrived. When they landed on him, Yamato leapt down to her. Words weren't needed when his dark brown orbs shone with the same emotions glittering in her eyes.

"She was Hayate's girlfriend," he whispered as he got closer to her, ignoring the odd stares they were attracting from the two shinobi waiting for her. "You know I wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

Sakura deflated visibly. She just couldn't stay mad with Yamato. Kakashi was another story though, because the man always seemed to get a kick out of her angry visage.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, placing her hand on Tenzou's green vested chest. "I'm such a fool for thinking that –"

"It's okay, Sakura," he answered with a little frown. "I'm feeling rather uneasy seeing you off with those two."

Her face brightened just a little bit. "You're jealous?"

Yamato shrugged. "I can't help it."

"Alright," she said with a smile. "It's a good thing that you never had anything with that ANBU woman, right?"

"Just remember that I am more interested in other things."

"Good! Now I can go in peace. See you in a month, Tenzou," she said cheekily, walking to the gates with a devious smile.

As he watched her bounce away with her two mission partners, he almost missed Kakashi's presence next to him.

"Did she ever tell you she dated Kiba for a while?" the Copy Ninja said, quirking an eyebrow curiously.

"No way," Yamato turned to regard his comrade.

"Yep," the silver-haired man said with a nod. "I guess it's true then, that saying 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.'"

"So you're jealous?" Yamato asked, failing to conceal his amused smirk.

"Of that kid? Nah. I know she'll come back to us."

"You're too confident."

"It's all about trust, Tenzou," Kakashi intoned lightly. "I trust her. What about you?"

"With my life."

"Then we have nothing to worry about."

_- Tenna' ento lye omenta -_

-XxX-_  
_

**A/N:** Kakashi is so full of BS. XD Thanks to RapturesRevenge for her beta, as always!


End file.
